THE RISE OF ROBOTS IN JAPAN

There is a fair possibility that a Japanese business is behind every robotics innovation you hear about in the news. Why? You might be surprised by the response; it has a lot to do with demographics (relating to the structure of population).

Although we typically identify the post World War 2 era with population growth, Japan actually saw a fall in population following the war. The enormous loss of nearly a generation of young men, along with the ruined economy, low morale, and destroyed infrastructure, significantly slowed Japan's population growth. Japan also has very restrictive immigration policies and culturally is not as welcoming to outsiders as other countries. It also has the highest longevity rates of any country in the world!

What results, then, from a large proportion of elderly individuals and a decreasing population qualified to care for them (and pay for their care)? You get robots.

The rise of personal-care robots is the real revolution in robotics, even though robots replacing humans on production lines and in factories is nothing new. These range from simple companion robots that don't need walking or cleaning up to humanoid machines that can do simple household chores and even converse and show emotions, more closely mimicking the experience of a real human caregiver.

JAPAN SETTING THE STAGE FOR SUCCESS IN ROBOT CAREERS

The elderly in Japan are being advised to become familiar with receiving care from robots.

By 2025, Japan's ageing population is estimated to face a 370,000-carer shortage, forcing the Japanese government to push for greater community acceptance of technologies that might assist bridge the nursing labour shortage.

Simple robotic gadgets that assist elderly people into bathtubs or assisting frail seniors in getting out of bed have been the subject of developers' work.

Dr Hirohisa Hirukawa, director of robot innovation research at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, stated the objectives included reducing the workload on nursing staff and enhancing the autonomy of individuals still living at home.

According to Japan's robot policy, by 2025, the government wants four out of every five care recipients to accept some assistance from robots.

So, What do you think, are Robots Ready to Replace Humans?